Author's Note: If you like soundtracks to your stories, I highly reccomend "The End" from the Man on Fire soundtrack, for the sadder parts of this story.
-Year 2 after Sharmin's Disappearance-
"Good work; you've mastered all the spells for your class." Lavinia congratulated the young Wizard in front of her. The younger student beamed at her with all the gratitude he could muster before turning and racing out of the Magic Guild, whooping in joy as he went. She let the proud smile that she had plastered upon her face drop as he disappeared, and sighed heavily.
"Good work." The Head Summoner of Aden Castle Town, Radyss, complimented her as she sat down. Lavinia cast him a tight-lipped smile before pulling a book from the shelf behind her to read. Radyss was an elegant looking Elf, with his straight, long blonde hair that had been slicked away from his face and his long blue robes. "Shall we go get a drink once your shift is through?" he asked suavely, perching himself on the low chair back and pushing the hair from around her neck in an affectionate manner. Lavinia sighed, but did not pull away from him.
"I'll be too tired tonight." Lavinia responded in a bored tone, turning the page in her book.
"Are you sure? We can go to my quarters, much more comfortable and forgiving on the tired soul than the noisy inn." He offered, stroking her neck with the back of his finger. Lavinia rolled her eyes and shook her head lightly, ignoring the brush of his fingers on her skin. Radyss had been attempting to court her since her arrival in Aden, but she really had no interest in someone nearly two hundred years her senior. He was incredibly dry and stuffy, and believed everything had to be done with ceremony with an utmost show of elegance. Lavinia, who had grown up taking care of her younger siblings after their parents were killed in the war with Gracia, was a bit too independent and tomboyish for someone like him. He needed someone like her sister Cesa, who was a bit ditzy and extremely girly. Living with Narlafayn had also brought out a more human-like personality in her; one she didn't realize was forming until after she and Mune had left the Elven Forest.
Lavinia had traveled the continent with her younger sister for a year before she had received a summons from the Hierarch in the Elven Village to go to Aden and live there until further notice as a Magister. The assigned Magister to the Magic Guild there was on maternity leave, and her child had been born with complications to her health. Lavinia was to remain there until the Magister felt well enough to return to her duties. Now closing in on a year, Lavinia began to wonder if the Magister was really that sick, or if she was just escaping from the endless duty of teaching the young Wizards and Spellsingers by claiming she was.
Mune had remained in Aden until she realized the Magic Guild was right across the street from the Dark Elven Guild. She promptly left the city that day without so much as a goodbye. Lavinia had heard from her a few times since she had disappeared. The last letter she received was from Goddard, where Mune claimed she was stocking up for a trip to Rune. She'd heard they were keeping a healthy Mother Tree hidden from the world in their temple. If she could get one sapling sprout from the tree, she could return with it to the Forest, and give it to the Hierarchs there to grow. It was curious how Elmore could have a healthy Mother Tree while the Elven Forest could not. Perhaps it was the close proximity with the Dark Elves' black magic and the Sea of Spores after all. She hoped Mune could keep her temper in check long enough to discover their secret.
"Sidekick!" a small, pink-haired Dwarf proclaimed as she bounced through the door, "Let's go to the Giant's Cave!" Lavinia glanced at the small person as she stopped in front of her and chuckled before returning to her reading.
"I can't leave Aden, Ichigo. I'm sorry." She murmured, turning the page in her book.
"Yes, she wouldn't want to go to such a disgusting waste of land anyway." Radyss added with a sneer, looking down his nose at Ichigo. Lavinia sighed heavily and halted herself from rolling her eyes yet again. This was yet another thing she hated about Radyss. He believed that the race of Light Elves were superior to every other race, especially Orcs and Dwarves. Lavinia herself couldn't exactly say she was fond of Orcs, given their harsh history with one another, but she saw no reason for his dislike of Dwarves. Some, like the cat-eyed one in front of her, were downright cute.
Ichigo was from the largest recorded family in Dwarven history by the name of Pixie. None of her siblings were very old yet, but their mother was still churning out children like clockwork. Lavinia couldn't believe her ears when she'd heard about it. She often wondered if their mother had any feeling left in her lower parts after that many children. Ichigo had told her that each of their family was good in a profession, and that hers was being a "magical girl". Everyone from the Pixie family seemed to be a bit odd, so Lavinia never bothered to question what that meant.
"I think you're going bald!" Ichigo exclaimed, staring at Radyss' head with large eyes. Always worried about his own appearance, Radyss stood up quickly and retreated back to his post with one hand on his head. He picked up a hand mirror to inspect his hair and slammed it down with a glare to Ichigo as he realized she had been lying.
"Be nice now, Ichigo." Lavinia chuckled, turning the page again. Ichigo sighed and plopped down to sit at her feet, staring up at her with the expression she had grown accustomed to being Ichigo's attempt at guilting people into her will. "Ichigo, I can't go with you while I'm on duty, I'm sorry. Why don't you go by yourself? You're strong enough." Lavinia stated, not looking at her.
"But a magical girl can't go anywhere without her sidekick! It's just not right!" Ichigo proclaimed stubbornly.
And just how did I become your sidekick, anyway?" Lavinia asked, looking over the top of her book.
Ichigo's face brightened up as if someone had lit a candle inside of her, and she sat up straight. "Because the sidekick is always the one who bestows the Magical Girl with her magical powers! You're gonna teach me magic some day, so it's only proper!" she decided firmly. Lavinia shook her head, amused. Ichigo had been insisting that Lavinia were to teach her magic since the first day she had discovered the Elf was a Spellsinger.
"Stop spouting rubbish, there's no way an Elf would teach a Dwarf anything." Radyss said in an icy tone from across the room. A human Magister paused in his explanation to a student, and they both turned to stare at him. The Head Magician coughed once, trying to return the atmosphere in the Guild to that of a place of learning.
"Come along, Ichigo, I'll walk you out." Lavinia said smoothly as she stood and placed her book back on the shelf.
"I don't like him, he smells like mildew." Ichigo said, wrinkling her nose as they exited. Lavinia resisted the urge to laugh as she heard Radyss choking in disbelief behind her.
Away from the eyes of the Guild, Lavinia stretched as far as she could, letting the tension from being cooped up in the dark building release. She was never one to stay inside for long, although she wasn't quite as outdoorsy as Cesa.
"How much longer you gotta stay in there, anyway?" Ichigo asked with a pout, looking up at her. Lavinia shrugged as she stretched her arms at the shoulders.
"Until Magister Winonin is better, I've told you this before." Lavinia said, leading Ichigo towards the center of the city.
The square was busy today, as a caravan of merchants from Schuttgart had set up in town, displaying wares from the northernmost parts of Elmore. Lavinia paused near a merchant selling flowers made of ice that were resistant to even the intense summer heat bearing down on the city this day. The flowers intrigued her, and she crouched down to the Merchant's blanket to inquire where he had found them.
"She looks well enough to me." Ichigo proclaimed, pointing. Lavinia stood and turned to the direction Ichigo was pointing curiously. Sure enough, Magister Winonin stood in the square holding her year-old baby and browsing a merchant's cart. Behind her, laden with packages, was Winonin's husband. "Yay, now we can go to the Giant's Cave!" Ichigo exclaimed happily, bouncing.
"Honey, shouldn't you be planning on returning to work instead of buying more things we don't need?" Winonin's husband's voice came, shifting packages that threatened to topple. Lavinia turned her attention to them intently, listening for her response.
"Yes, wrapped up." Winonin was saying to the merchant. She cuddled her baby as she waited for the merchant to finish wrapping her newest purchase. "No dearest, the Head Summoner told me not to return until he had Lavinia's hand in marriage. He's made it so they believe I had complications bringing our precious one into the world and that I need extended recovery."
Her eyes hidden from a shadow cast over her face by her layered bangs and hair, Lavinia marched over to the Magister without a word and snatched her wrist. Bewildered, the Magister could only gawk as Lavinia dragged her back through the square towards the Guild.
"So he wants my hand in marriage, does he?" Lavinia growled through clenched teeth. "Forcing me to stay until I break under his will, is he? We'll see about that."
"You can't do this!" Winonin protested, trying to keep a firm hold on her baby as Lavinia's grip on her wrist tightened. "This is abuse!" She looked over her shoulder for her husband, but he was still standing at the merchant, packages piled so high in front of his face that he hadn't seen the abduction of his wife. Ichigo followed the pair happily, skipping and humming as she swung her star-topped blunt back and forth.
Lavinia finally halted inside the Magic Guild and brought the Magister around roughly, causing her to stumble. She gave Radyss a cold look and proclaimed, "I quit."
Finding their farce in danger of being exposed, Winonin suddenly sunk to her knees, coughing. The noise made her baby cry, giving her a very feeble and pathetic appearance. "This woman is insane!" she said, her voice raspy. She looked up at the Head Magister with tear-filled eyes. "She suddenly burst into my home and dragged me from it, telling me I had to return to work or else!" she sobbed prettily despite her coughing fit and wiped a tear from her eye before it was visible.
"Lavinia, what's the meaning of this?" The Head Magister, Drikiyan demanded, glaring at her.
"She's faking it." Lavinia said in a hard tone of voice, folding her arms over her chest.
"Don't be absurd, can't you see she's still ill?" Radyss exclaimed, kneeling at Winonin's side. "There there, I'll escort you back to your home you poor thing." He crooned, taking her arm gently and helping her stand.
"Dearest, the merchant wanted to know if you wanted to do the two-for-one deal, and that your purchase is wrapped." Winonin's husband suddenly said breathlessly. Five pairs of eyes turned to look at him as he stood in the doorway, still laden with packages. The human Magister began to laugh in his corner, turning away from the display and hiding his mouth with his hand.
"Not now, dear." Winonin said through clenched teeth, all appearance of being sick gone.
"Oh, so you're returning to work? Splendid! I take it Radyss finally got Lavinia's hand in marriage, congratulations you two!" the Light Elf exclaimed, setting down some of the packages to applaud.
"Excuse me?" Drikiyan asked, staring pointedly at Radyss and Winonin.
"I'm leaving now, bye." Lavinia said quickly, stepping away from the Magisters and towards Ichigo. She stood outside the door, batting at bees that swarmed around the potted flowers.
"You can't leave, you have a duty here!" Radyss exclaimed, standing. "You'll never get to the Ivory Tower with me if you leave!" he said, reaching towards her.
"Who said I wanted to go to the Ivory Tower in the first place?" Lavinia asked, halting him with a cool stare. Lavinia smiled at Ichigo as she exited, and the pair gratefully walked away from the Magic Guild.